Across the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, there is a growing emphasis on preserving indigenous languages and cultural heritage amid concerns over the erosion of traditional practices. Community members and cultural advocates emphasize that maintaining ethnic identities through language, customs, and daily practices plays a crucial role in safeguarding Malaysia’s diverse cultural landscape.
Krysanthe Erica Albert, a 23-year-old Kadazan-Dusun sales associate, underscores the importance of integrating indigenous languages into education and public spaces. She suggests making Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, and Rungus languages elective school subjects, as well as promoting these languages through television, radio, and social media to increase visibility. Albert also recommends displaying ethnic words and phrases in schools and shopping malls to familiarize the wider public with native vocabularies. Highlighting parental involvement, she stresses the role families play in encouraging the use of indigenous languages at home to prevent cultural loss over time.
Similarly, 16-year-old Suluk student Ahmad Albab Bainan Najal stresses the significance of speaking ethnic languages within the household while expressing pride in his heritage and national identity. He notes that although ethnic languages may not be commonly used in schools or among peers, maintaining them at home helps preserve cultural traditions, especially those related to ceremonies like weddings. Ahmad emphasizes that embracing one’s own cultural background does not conflict with broader Malaysian identity, pointing to the spirit of respect and harmony found in Sabah’s multiethnic society.
For smaller and less prominent ethnic groups, such as the Orang Sungai, cultural preservation is seen as even more critical. Schoolteacher Mariati Bebe, 53, highlights the need for younger generations to learn their native languages and customs, urging parents to actively pass down cultural knowledge. She describes such efforts as vital to sustaining her community’s unique identity amid the broader national mosaic.
Other voices stress the importance of mutual respect between different ethnic groups as a foundation for cultural preservation. Bajau freelancer Aliza Alawi believes that understanding and appreciating diverse traditions and beliefs will help maintain both cultural heritage and the country’s social harmony.
The challenge of maintaining minority languages is further illustrated by Diana Daniel of the Lun Bawang group in Sarawak. She acknowledges that urbanization and the prevalent use of Malay and English have led to a decline in everyday use of Lun Bawang. To counter this trend, Daniel advocates for intentional cultural engagement such as speaking the language at home, singing traditional songs, and reading indigenous literature and religious texts, arguing that language remains a key connector to communal identity.
Meanwhile, Rona Bulan Trang, a Kelabit, encourages those who have become disconnected from their roots to reconnect by visiting ancestral lands and immersing themselves in cultural settings. She stresses the communal nature of cultural transmission, asserting that nurturing appreciation for both one’s own and other communities’ cultures strengthens Malaysia’s overall cultural fabric.
Collectively, these perspectives reflect a shared commitment across Sabah and Sarawak to safeguarding ethnic languages and traditions as integral components of Malaysia’s plural society, while fostering mutual respect among its diverse peoples.